Pretests for a Study on Quantitative Information in Direct-to-Consumer Television Advertisements

Quantitative TV Pretests 3 and 4 and Study 2

Survey Questionnaire

INTRODUCTION

Thank you for agreeing to participate in this study today. This study is about advertising for a new product. We will show you an ad for a new product and then ask you some questions about it.

Make sure you are comfortable and can read the screen from where you sit. The survey will include some audio, so please make sure the sound on your computer is active and the speaker volume is turned up.

On the next two screens you will be shown the image of an animal and sound and asked to identify which animals you see and hear. Therefore please ensure your speakers are turned on, or you can use your headphones. [Terminate participants who cannot hear the sound and see the image]

ADVERTISEMENT INSTRUCTIONS

On the next screen, you will see an advertisement for a new product. The ad may take 15-30 seconds to start playing. Imagine that this ad is for a product that you might be interested in for yourself.

Once you finish viewing the ad, please click the Next button.

[DISPLAY ASSIGNED AD] [SUPPRESS “NEXT” BUTTON UNTIL AD FINISHES PLAYING]

We would like you to watch the ad a second time. Please click the Next button to view the ad.

[DISPLAY ASSIGNED AD AGAIN] [SUPPRESS “NEXT” BUTTON UNTIL AD FINISHES PLAYING]

SURVEY INSTRUCTIONS

Now please answer the following questions based on the ad you saw.

Q1. Were you able to view the ad for [Drug X]?

• Yes

• No  [Terminate]

• Not sure  [Terminate]

Q2. What was the main message of this ad? (gist memory)

(open ended)

Q3. What are the benefits of [Drug X]? Please list as many benefits as you can remember. (benefit recall)

(open ended)

Q4. What are the side effects of [Drug X]? Please list as many side effects as you can remember. (risk recall)

(open ended)

Q5. Please check which of the following statements were mentioned in the ad. Even if you think a statement is true, please select it only if it was mentioned in the ad. [RANDOMIZE ORDER] (benefit recognition)

	Mentioned	Not Mentioned
a. [Drug X] improves vision in people with cataracts.	X
b. [Drug X] reduces cloudiness caused by cataracts.	X
c. You take [Drug X] by putting just two drops in each eye per day.	X
d. [Drug X] can only be used by people who have tried cataract surgery.		X
e. [Drug X] improves vision in people with glaucoma.		X
f. [Drug X] improves eyesight for people who are near-sighted.		X

Please answer the following questions based on what you learned from the ad. The ad may or may not have included the information needed to answer each question, so your best guess is fine. [Keep on screen for questions Q6 – Q12]

Q6. [Drug X] eliminates all of the vision problems caused by cataracts. (gist efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• True

• False (correct answer)

Q7. On average, if someone with cataracts takes [Drug X], by how much will their vision improve? (gist efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

• Vision will not improve at all

• Vision will improve but won’t be back to normal (correct answer)

• Vision will improve to normal

Q8. [Drug X] will improve vision in almost everyone who takes it. (gist efficacy claim accuracy – likelihood)

• True

• False (correct answer)

Q9. The majority of people with cataracts who take [Drug X] will have at least some vision improvement. (gist efficacy claim accuracy – likelihood)

• True (correct answer)

• False

Q10. What percentage of people with cataracts who take [Drug X] will have better vision? (gist efficacy claim accuracy – likelihood)

• Less than half (0-40%)

• About half (41-60%) (correct answer)

• More than half (61-99%)

• All (100%)

• Don’t know

Q11. Please complete the following sentence: On average, people with cataracts who took [Drug X] improved their vision to __. (efficacy claim accuracy – magnitude)

20/20

20/30

20/40

20/50

20/60

20/70

20/80

20/90

20/100

__Don’t know

Q12. What percentage of people with cataracts who took [Drug X] improved their vision to 20/40? (efficacy claim accuracy – likelihood)

_______% [permit numbers from 0-100; also permit ranges (e.g., 40-60%)]

__Don’t know

Q13. [Drug X] is more likely to improve vision than other treatments for cataracts. (perceived efficacy - comparative)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

__ Don’t know

Q14. After seeing this ad, how likely would you be to recommend [Drug X] to a close family member with cataracts? (behavioral intention)

1 Not at all likely

2

3

4

5

6 Extremely likely

Q15. Based on the ad, how convinced are you that [Drug X] improves vision? (ad persuasiveness)

1 Not at all convinced

2

3

4

5

6 Completely convinced

Q16. Please check which of the following were mentioned in the ad as risks of taking [Drug X]. Even if you think a statement is true, please select it only if it was mentioned in the ad. [RANDOMIZE ORDER] (risk recognition)

	Mentioned	Not Mentioned
a. A side effect of [Drug X) is losing the ability to see the distance between things.	X
b. A side effect of [Drug X) is runny nose.	X
c. People with glaucoma should not take [Drug X].	X
d. A side effect of [Drug X] is a detached retina.	X
e. A side effect of [Drug X] is blurry vision.		X
f. A side effect of [Drug X] is temporary blindness.		X
g. People with kidney problems should not take [Drug X].		X
h. A side effect of [Drug X] is nausea.		X

Q17. How serious are [Drug X]’s side effects? (perceived risk – magnitude)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Most would not be serious					Most would be very serious

Q18. How bothersome would [Drug X]’s side effects be? (perceived risk – magnitude)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all bothersome					Extremely bothersome

Q19. [Drug X] is riskier than other treatments for cataracts. (perceived risk - comparative)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

__ Don’t know

Q20. Thinking overall about the risks and benefits, would you say [Drug X] has: (benefit/risk tradeoff)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7

More risks Equal risks More benefits

than benefits and benefits than risks

Q21. This ad used images or special effects to show how well [Drug X] works. (manipulation check – images of improvement)

• Yes

• No

• Not sure

P1. [IF YES] Please describe those images or special effects. (manipulation check – images of improvement)

(open ended)

Q22. [IF YES] In your opinion, how accurate were the images or special effects that showed how well [Drug X] works? (images of improvement – perceived accuracy)

1	2	3	4	5
Not at all accurate		Somewhat accurate		Accurate

Q23. [IF YES] Compared to the images and special effects in the ad, how well would [Drug X] work in real life? (images of improvement – perceived accuracy)

1	2	3	4	5
[Drug X] would improve people’s vision a lot less than the images suggest	[Drug X] would improve people’s vision a little bit less than the images suggest	[Drug X] would improve people’s vision the same than the images suggest	[Drug X] would improve people’s vision a little bit more than the images suggest	[Drug X] would improve people’s vision a lot more than the images suggest

Q24. Did you notice any blurriness on the screen? (manipulation check – images of improvement)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q25. [IF YES] How did the blurriness change throughout the ad? (manipulation check – images of improvement)

1	2	3	4	5
Ad got a lot less blurry	Ad got a little bit less blurry	Blurriness stayed the same throughout ad	Ad got a little bit more blurry	Ad got a lot more blurry

P2. [IF YES] In your own words, what was the purpose of the blurriness in the ad? (manipulation check – images of improvement)

(open ended)

P3. Did the ad contain any numbers about how well [Drug X] improved vision? (manipulation check – efficacy claim)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q26. The ad may have included both images and numbers showing how well [Drug X] works. How closely did the images and special effects match the numbers in the ad? (perceived match – efficacy claim vs. images of improvement)

1	2	3	4	5
The images showed less improvement than the numbers		The images showed the same amount of improvement as the numbers		The images showed more improvement than the numbers

Q27. Please check how much you agree or disagree with the following statements about the ad you saw. (ad skepticism)

This ad is a reliable source of information about the risks and benefits of [Drug X].

This ad presents a true picture of [Drug X].

I feel I’ve been accurately informed after viewing this ad.

This ad provides consumers with essential information for deciding whether to ask a doctor about [Drug X].

1	2	3	4	5	6
Strongly disagree					Strongly agree

Q28. Now here are some questions that require you to use numbers to solve the problem. Some are easy, and others are more difficult. Please don’t use a calculator: We’d like you to answer on your own.

Remember, almost everyone will have trouble with these questions, so don’t be upset if some are difficult—just do your best! (objective numeracy)

1. Imagine that you flip a fair coin 1,000 times. What is your best guess about how many times the coin would come up heads in 1,000 flips?

___ times out of 1,000

2. In the BIG BUCKS LOTTERY, the chance of winning a $10 prize is 1%. What is your best guess about how many people would win a $10 prize if 1,000 people each buy a single ticket to BIG BUCKS LOTTERY?

____ people

3. In ACME PUBLISHING SWEEPSTAKES, the chance of winning a car is 1 in 1,000. What percent of tickets to ACME PUBLISHING SWEEPSTAKES will win a car

___ percent

Q29.

a. How good are you at working with fractions?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

b. How good are you at working with percentages?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

c. How good are you at calculating a 15% tip?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

d. How good are you at figuring out how much a shirt will cost if it is 25% off?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all good					Extremely good

e. When reading the newspaper, how helpful do you find tables and graphs that are part of the
story?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all					Extremely

f. When people tell you the chance of something happening, do you prefer that they use words (“it rarely happens”) or numbers (“there’s a 1% chance”)?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Always prefer words					Always prefer numbers

g. When you hear a weather forecast, do you prefer predictions using percentages (e.g., “there will be a 20% chance of rain today”) or predictions using only words (e.g., “there is a small chance of rain today”)?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Always prefer percentages					Always prefer words

h. How often do you find numerical information to be useful?

1	2	3	4	5	6
Never					Very often

Q30. Are you currently taking a prescription medicine for any eye or vision problems? (prescription use)

• Yes

• No

• Don't know or uncertain

Q31. In general, how much do you know about cataracts? (perceived medical condition knowledge)

• Nothing at all

• Only a little bit

• Some

• A lot

Q32. Do you have or have you had cataracts? (medical condition history)

• Yes – Currently have cataracts

• Yes – Previously had cataracts

• Never had cataracts

• Don't know

Q33. [IF YES] Have you ever had cataract surgery? (treatment history)

• Yes

• No

• Don't know

Q34. [IF NEVER HAD / DON’T KNOW] How likely do you think it is that you will get cataracts? (medical condition perceived risk)

1 2 3 4 5 6

Not at all Extremely

Likely Likely

Q35. Have any of your close family members—such as parents, brothers, or sisters—ever had cataracts? (family medical condition history)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

Q36. Have you had any vision problems—other than needing contacts or glasses—in the past 10 years? (history of vision problems)

• Yes

• No

• Don’t know

For the next two questions, please indicate how much you agree or disagree with the statement.

Q37. I experience prescription drug side effects more frequently than other people my age. (prescription attitude – side effect history)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q38. Whenever I take prescription drugs, they tend to work the way they are supposed to work. (prescription attitude – efficacy history)

1 Strongly disagree

2

3

4

5

6 Strongly agree

Q39. How often do you or would you use prescription drugs? (prescription attitude – personal usage)

• I would never use them

• I would use them only for serious health conditions

• I would use them for moderate and serious health conditions

• I would use them for most health conditions, including minor problems

P4. How noticeable was the information about [Drug X]’s benefits? (efficacy claim awareness)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Not at all noticeable					Very noticeable

P5. How similar or different was this ad compared to other television ads for prescription drugs? (ad quality)

1	2	3	4	5	6
Nothing like ads on TV					Just like ads on TV

P6. Do you think the ad quality was… (ad quality)

• High, like a national ad

• Medium, like an ad for a local business

• Low, like an amateur filmed it with a video camera

Q40. How confident are you in filling out medical forms by yourself? (literacy)

1 Not at all

2 A little

3 Somewhat

4 Quite a bit

5 Extremely

Q41. How many years of education have you had? (education)

• Less than high school

• Completed high school

• Some college

• Associate’s degree (2-year)

• Bachelor’s degree (4-year)

• Some postgraduate work

• Postgraduate degree (M.A., Ph.D., M.D., J.D., etc.)

Q42. What is your sex? (gender)

• Male

• Female

Q43. What is your date of birth? (age)

_____month

_____year

Q44. Are you Hispanic or Latino? (ethnicity)

• No

• Yes

Q45. What is your race? You may select one or more races. (race)

[ALLOW MULTIPLE RESPONSES]

• American Indian or Alaska Native

• Asian

• Black or African American

• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander

• White

• Some other race

Q46. Would you like to see more information about [Drug X]? (information search behavior)

• Yes, look for more information now

• No, do not look for more information now

DEBRIEF

The purpose of this study is to learn about reactions to medical advertising. In order to get a real-life reaction, we used a pretend product in this study. [Drug X] is not a real product and is not available for sale. Please see your healthcare professional for questions about cataracts.

You have been very helpful. Thank you very much for your participation!